[xantiaman]

hi all
i have just purchased my first 75,a 1.8 connie on a w plate which i knew had a water leak/possible head gasket problem.i had been informed that the head gasket/water pump and thermostat had recently been changed but the leak still persisted the then owner lost interest and sold it to me at a bargain basement price.i started to strip the head down and was amazed at the lack of care and attention to things for example,hose clips not correctly seated,bolts/brackests missing and when i finally got to the gasket although a multi layer one had been used the head bolts where not very tight at all.while i was at it i thought i may as well check the thermostat.two of the three bolts came out no problem but the third was spinning in its thread where it had been over tightened.so i needed to remove the whole housing this revealed a broken pipe where it goes into the back of the water pump and a pinched seal.so a relatively straight forward job has taken several hours longer.i can only presume the person doing the work was an amateur mechanic but if somebdy doesnt feel competant why oh why do they attempt this sort of thing.the car has taken all the blame when it really was somebodys fault.i will now get off my soap box and carry on with the work.